Ep. 401 - 10 Great Reasons to Line-Dry Your Laundry

Why would people line-dry their laundry when dryers have already been invented?  Margaret Boyles of the Old Farmers' Almanac has 10 great reasons why you should hang out your clothes to dry!  

Do you line-dry your laundry?  

Let us know in the comments!  

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Discussion Links:

Old Farmer's Almanac - Daily Almanac

Worm Composting 101: How to Make a Simple Worm Bin

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Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 0:01

If we stand together, we'll never fall. We can make a difference.

SPEAKER_01 0:13

Well, hi there, and welcome back to another episode of the All Around Growth Podcast. Today is Tuesday, August 16th, 2022, and this is episode number 401 of a show that provides insight and tools to help us build the lives and homesteads of our dreams. My name is Rob Kaiser and I am your host. In today's episode, we are going to cover a number of topics from the Daily Almanac before diving into one where I will share my own personal experiences on the topic and or read the article while injecting my opinions. But if you're not familiar with what the Daily Almanac is, you can find it in the show notes. It's from the Old Farmer's Almanac, and it's basically what you would see on a daily basis. Alright? Like, for example, you can find information like who was born on this day, what happened today in history, little tidbits of information such as there's 37 days until autumn begins. That's right. 37 days until autumn begins. It's beginning to feel that way in the mornings, that's for sure. Little questions of the day, also, such as, I'm having trouble with earwigs in my garden. Should I spray them with something? Well, click on the link in the show notes to find the daily almanac, and you can find questions or the answers like that. Or answers to questions like that, rather. And there are puzzles of the day and more. Little poems such as I meant to do my work today, but a brown bird sang in the apple tree, and a butterfly flitted across the field, and all the leaves were calling me. Something like that from Richard Le Guyenne from 1866 to 1947. There is a photo of a page turning, if you will, from trees in a field in summer to snow-covered trees in winter. And the question is asked, how do we make our weather predictions so far in advance? We answer this popular reader question, and we in this case is the old farmer's almanac again. And the old farmer's almanac writes, our long-range formula isn't simply based on meteorology, aka short-range weather, but also considers sunspot activity, ocean temperatures, and weather patterns and other factors. The forecasts in the new 2023 Old Farmers Almanac are also based on a new updated set of climate normals. And you can learn more about how they make their weather forecasts by following the link to the Daily Almanac in the show notes, and you will see the link here. Now, one thing I learned if you are listening to this in the future, the link in the show notes from today, August 16th, that daily almanac will bring you to the date and day of the current time that you are listening to this, right? So I don't believe there is any historic daily almanac, or if there is, I'm not sure how to do it. So if anyone out there is a fan of the old farmer's almanac and receives the daily almanac emails and knows what I'm talking about, then by all means feel free to let me know. Either in the telegram group or at allaroundgrowth at gmail.com. Okay, so some of the articles in the Daily Almanac are gardening for the birds. We should always consider our feathered friends. Making your garden bird friendly takes more than just hanging a feeder or two. Here are five tips for making your backyard more welcoming to birds. Check out the Daily Almanac show notes if you want to learn more about that. And there's an article on how to tell if a watermelon is ripe. Every year we're faced with the same dilemma how to tell if a watermelon is ripe. Musk melons are easy, they will slip right off the vine at the peak of perfection. However, watermelons remain firmly attached even when they are overripe. Again, in the show notes and the Daily Almanac, there is an article to learn more about how to tell if a watermelon is ripe. There is also an article on 10 great reasons to line dry your laundry. And why would people line dry their laundry when dryers have already been invented? I'll give you 10 great reasons why you should hang dry, hang out your clothes to dry. We may read that because for some reason or another, that feels like a homesteady thing to do. And uh and I've just I've I've heard people speak of the the the value of lime-dried sheets and sleeping on them is is is is something an experience to be had. So anyways, uh that is one to consider. There is also an article on grilled cantaloupe with prosciutto. Cantaloupe wrapped in prosciutto is a classic appetizer. The ripe fruit pairs well with the salty cured meat. Try it on the grill for a fresh summery appetizer, and you can read more on that. There is also an article on worm composting 101: how to make a simple worm bin. Wonderful wiggling worms are the starting point for healthy soil and can create truly awesome compost. Put worms to work in your garden by making your own wormerie. It's easy and will yield nutritious worm compost to enrich your soil. In this short video, we'll show you how to make a wormery. So that's cool. Uh probably something you might want to share with your kids as well. Um, so you know, again, check that out in the show notes. I will link to this one directly because that is kind of fun, seems kind of cool, and uh I think everyone might be interested in wormcob hosting 101 and how to make a simple worm bin, along with uh how to make a wormery on YouTube by the editors of the old farmer's almanac. So, all right. So if you enjoy this kind of content, again, a link to the Daily Almanac, which is part of the Old Farmer's Almanac, and you can you know learn more and sign up for it yourself and get these on the regular and not just uh when I cover them. So let's talk about line drying laundry, shall we? I didn't really expect to get into a topic like this this morning, but hey, why not? 10 great reasons to line dry your laundry. Uh just having some coffee. Nothing special about my coffee. Uh just something I stole from dad this morning. And we speaking of that, before we dive into this, the reason we're doing this today is because we've got a long day ahead of making kraut. We've got to make some traditional, we've got to make some lemon dill, some jalapeno cilantro, and uh dad is actually picking up lemons as we speak because I think we used some this weekend for some reason, and uh we are short. So, anyways, the benefits of a clothesline. This is an article by Margaret Boyles from August 3rd, 2021. Why would people line dry their laundry when the dryers have already been invented? I'll give you 10 great reasons why you should hang out your clothes to dry. I started out with an outdoor clothesline held up by wooden posts. When that collapsed, I found a new clothesline online featuring steel posts and crossbeams and a lifetime guarantee. Because it was a gift for the man of the house, I had the product delivered to my office so I could keep it as a surprise. It arrived one day when I was out at the office, appearing to be nothing but a couple of long beefy steel poles taped together. The cross pieces were tucked inside the support poles, and customers provide their own clotheslines. Let's get into the meat of the article instead of this, right? Line drying simply fits my down home way of life, and that's a link to the author's content being self-sufficient, frugal, and natural. Okay, seemingly appropriate. Let me give you some of my top reasons for hanging the family laundry outside. Number one, line drying prolongs the life of your clothing. The rolling and tumbling of damp laundry takes its toll on the fibers and clothing and bedding. High dry heat often shrinks and ruins some fabrics and causes irreversible damage. Line drying is more gentle to fibers. Number two, you'll lower your gas or electric bill. Project Laundry List, Link included, estimates the average household could save 10 to 20% on utility bills by hanging the wash. Number three, line drying laundry also protects the environment, conserving energy for your fellow man. Air drying clothes can reduce the average household's carbon footprint by 2,400 pounds a year. Okay, number four, you'll lower your risk of a home fire. According to the National Fire Protection Association, link to in the article, closed dryers or washing machines caused about 4% of house fires. In 2006, these appliances caused 15 civilian deaths, 360 injuries, and $194 in direct property damage. What the hell does that even mean? Well, luckily there's a star and some kind of indicator where you can learn more with some footnotes. So, number five, hanging laundry gets you outside. Being outside in bright light can alleviate depression, improve immunity, increase social relationships, and more. And there is a link to that where you can learn more about that. And I agree with all of that. There's also just something surprisingly peaceful about hanging the laundry outside. It's even a physical activity that gets you moving and burning calories. Alright, I suppose there's something to be said for that. I just take the amount of time I spend outside and the physical activity that I engage in, I guess I take that for granted now. But uh yes, this is a good reason. However, we are five reasons in, and I really I'm not sold on this yet, other than prolonging the life of my clothing, guys. But we still have five more reasons to go. Excuse me. So let's continue. Number six, sunlight is a good bleach and disinfectant. This is especially great for white sheets and linens. The downside, fading. To prevent bright colors from fading, turn the items inside out or hang them on bars in the shade. Hmm. Number seven, you can't beat the smell of laundry dried outside. Ah, plunging my nose into a pile of sun-dried clothes releases a cascade of feel-good endorphins. Does it really? Uh I'm into that. But that is not really what I would or how I would have described the good smell of laundry, and that's probably why I am not writing articles for almanac.com. Because I wouldn't describe the smell of laundry being dried outside as plunging one's nose into a pile of sun-dried clothes. Releasing a cascade of feel-good endorphins. I just say it smells pretty good, and uh, you know, that's worth it because things that smell good are worth it. That's probably not what I would say, but hey. Number eight, rough air-dried towels make the best exfoliants. Not only do they save time and money, but you can also multitask by exfoliating all over while you dry off. No need to buy exfoliating scrubs and scrubbers. Okay. Number nine, line drying helps remove stains without adding chemical agents to your wash. Getting rid of chemical laundry fresheners like dryer sheets and fabric softeners is good for your skin, especially if you are sensitive to perfumes, dyes, and chemicals. Number 10, have you ever felt your bed sheets after they were dried in the sun and breeze? Fantastic. Note, if your neighborhood has banned clotheslines in your yard, there are still many types of indoor clotheslines and collapsible drying racks. Okay, guys, that's it for the article. And I don't know about you, but there are ten reasons here within this article on line drying your clothing, and I am a place where I can get down with two of them. Alright. You know, I don't use dryer sheets, I don't use fabric softeners, all right. You know, what I use in the dryer are these knit uh or these uh felt felted dryer balls that I picked up at a local market. Um at this point, probably seven years ago. And I might as well have picked them up yesterday. I don't think they wear out. I'm not sure if they're ever going to wear out. I don't really use a whole lot of laundry detergent. Um if anything, I use half of the called for amount because I just think it's the activity. And the washing and it's so I don't know. I don't know. What do you think about line drying your clothes? Do you are you are are you into it? Do you do it? If so, why? Let us know in the group chat t.me slash all around growth. Or, you know, give us a comment on Facebook as well. You'll see this post, or I mean you'll see this episode shared on the Facebook page. It'll be in the Facebook group as well. So let us know what you think about line drying your clothes. I'm I'm curious. I'm I can't say I've ever done that, but again, I'm just a suburb guy trying to figure out life here on the homestead, and that might be the shtick, in a sense, if you will, of a secondary podcast to come on York Meadow Farm. You know, I'm giving a lot of thought and consideration into moving in a direction where more of my time, effort, and energy is focused on the creation of content directly related to the farm in an effort to grow that business rather than do my own personal thing here with all around growth, or I may reduce the frequency of that. I don't know, but I will let you know because I've got a call scheduled with someone, or well, actually I need to schedule that call, but perhaps that's something to be discussed in a future episode of personal development. I don't know, but we shall see. Either way, that is it for today, guys. And again, links to all of this will be in the show notes, links to the article 10 great reasons to line dry your laundry, and links to worm composting 101, as well as links to the daily almanac from the old farmer's almanac. And I look forward to tomorrow, Wednesday, August 17th, where we will talk about another topic here on the All Around Growth Podcast. This is Rob Kaiser, and thank you.